One of the convicts in the December 16 gangrape case on Wednesday moved a Delhi court seeking issuance of contempt notice against home minister Sushilkumar Shinde for his reported statement that death is assured for the four convicts in the case.

The application was moved on
behalf of convict Mukesh before additional sessions judge Yogesh Khanna for action against Shinde under section 15 of the Contempt of Courts Act during beginning of the arguments on quantum of sentence to be awarded for the four convicts.

"The home minister reacted sharply soon after the judgement and issued a press release that-we have strengthened the law. Now trials in such case would be done under the new law. Death is assured in this case," Mukesh said in the application.

"It is relevant to mention here that Delhi Police is under direct control of Union home minister and his statement definitely has an effect on the verdict of the case and may affect the case of Mukesh," the advocate said.

He said the statement was widely published by the media and it clearly amounts to interference in the administration of justice and contempt of court.

The counsel said the case was at the stage of arguments on the quantum of sentence and the Home Minister's statement amounts to "influencing and undermining the judiciary".

The court had yesterday convicted Mukesh (26), Vinay Sharma (20), Pawan Gupta (19) and Akshay Singh Thakur (28) for 13 offences including gangrape, murder, unnatural offences, attempt to murder, dacoity, destruction of evidence, conspiracy, kidnapping or abducting in order to murder, while acquitting them of the charge of murder in dacoity.